School Visits with Shennen Bersani

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May 22, 2018

Author and teacher Kate Narita has complied a list of Must Haves for teachers, andAchoo! Why Pollen Counts made her list! Check out Achoo! and her complete list here.And don't miss all the free Teaching Activities and Quizzes​on Arbordale's Achoo! Why Pollen Countspage.

Foreword Reviews' 2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Finalist

Foreword Reviews Announces Finalists for 2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards

Traverse City, MI, March 7, 2016—Foreword Reviews, a media company devoted to reviewing books from small, independent publishers and university presses, is pleased to announce the finalists for its 18th annual INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards.

Each year, Foreword Reviews shines a light on a select group of indie publishers, university presses, and self-published authors whose work stands out from the crowd. In the next three months, a panel of more than 130 volunteer librarians and booksellers will determine the winners in 66 categories based on their experience with readers and patrons.

“The 2015 INDIEFAB finalist selection process is as inspiring as it is rigorous,” said Victoria Sutherland, publisher of Foreword Reviews. “The strength of this list of finalists is further proof that small, independent publishers are taking their rightful place as the new driving force of the entire publishing industry.”

Foreword Reviews will celebrate the winners during a program at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida in June. We will also name the Editor’s Choice Prize 2015 for Fiction, Nonfiction and Foreword Reviews’ 2015 INDIEFAB Publisher of the Year Award during the presentation.

Visit www.achoowhypollencounts.com for lots of free coloring pages and photos from around the world of pollen, bees, and plants - and more! Lots of information to help children discover pollen and pollination.

FINALLY I also want to mention I was a recent Guest Post on the fabulous Elizabeth Dulemba's Blog. Learn more about me and check out my interview here. Thank you Elizabeth for allowing me to share with your readers.

for introducing countless more children to the wonders of pollen and the pollination process. The book can be purchased on Amazon here:

Achiss! La Importancia del polen, Receives Spanish Book Award

The Tejas Star Award committee has selected Achiss! by Shennen Bersani for their annual reading list. This is the debut picture book both authored and illustrated by Shennen Bersani, and the first award for a Spanish edition of an Arbordale Book.

The story begins with Baby Bear waking up to a cloud of pollen after hibernation. After a sneezy start Baby Bear ends up learning why pollen is good for everyone, even a bear, from his forest friends. The realistic, yet adorable illustrations are in Bersani's signature style and help kids understand why pollen is so important.

Published by the Texas Library Association each year, the Tejas Star Reading List is intended to, "encourage children ages 5-12 to explore multicultural books and to discover the cognitive and economic benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism." For more information on the award click here.

Other Achoo! Why Pollen Counts news.

A new review from Alissa Apel was posted last week. You can read it here.

A new blog interview with Karlin Gray was posted this week. You can read it here.

Tomorrow and Saturday I will be participating in March Into Reading. Check out all the details here.

Tags:
I am thrilled to announce Achoo!'s Spanish translation, was selected for the 2016-2017 Tejas Star Reading List! My heartfelt thank you goes out to the Tejas Star Reading List Task Force and the Texas Library Association for introducing countless more children to the wonders of pollen and the pollination process., ¡Achíss! La importancia del pollen

I don't want to give away the interview on my blog, I'd like you to click the link and read it for yourself. But I will answer a question I've been asked. What is up with that photo of me? In the interview I mention I do a lot of research for my books. In that photo (in the interview) I am at the Monterey Bay Aquarium behind the exhibit halls in one of the kitchens where food for the sea creatures is prepared. Here I am holding a squid that will be fed to one of the animals. I was researching all things slimy for the book Sea Slime: It's Eeuwy, Gooey and Under the Sea, written by Dr. Ellen Prager, Arbordale Publishing. Sea Slime: It's Eeuwy, Gooey and Under the Sea has been well received in the state of Florida. I will update what is happening in a future blog post. All very exciting! Also, check out new pollen photos and book reviews over at www.achoowhypollencounts.com.

* Ashley Lucas {aka Lady Lucas} also likes to make things and draw things daily. You can find her latest illustrative work – such as adorable adult coloring books, in her Etsy store or follow her on social media @LadyLucasArt. Her monthly newsletter offers free artwork & craft ideas perfect for parents, teachers and creatives.

June 20, 2013

I'm excited to be posting for this week's The Next Big Thing Blog Tour. This chain letter, of sorts, started over in Australia, and it's surfed its way to me - in Boston. I was tagged by one of my favorite illustrators, Cathy Morrison, who last week told us about her upcoming Dino Tracks! Boy those guys look mighty terrific, don't they?

I said surfed its way to me 'cause here comes Shark Baby, surfing in now!!

What is the working title of your new book?

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I'm the illustrator of Shark Baby, so we would have to ask the author, Ann Downer, where she got her idea for the story. But I can tell you I jumped at the chance to illustrate a baby shark book! I've illustrated a number of ocean books with sharks in them as well as adult sharks in Sharks: Big, Bigger, Biggest, Scholastic 2005. In Shark Baby, the anthropomorphic story of a baby shark learning his place in the world excited me! OH the places he and I would go together!

What genre does your book fall under?

Shark Baby is a children's picture book. I'd hate to give an age limit to it, I'd like to say it's for all who are young at heart.

Which actors would you choose to play in your movie rendition?

Oh, my, it might be a stretch for him since he's not a shark, but I'd have to cast Nemo. I think Dory might pass as one of the seahorses.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

A new to be born shark, curious of his existence, finds out who he really is.

We would have to ask Ann Downer how long it took her to write her first draft, but I can tell you how long it took for me to do the illustrations. After reading the manuscript, the first thought I had was - I need to visit the kelp forest! My second thought was - wouldn't it be awesome to go swim with a manatee, like Shark Baby does! So I flew to Crystal River, Florida and swam with manatee; and then I crossed the country and experienced the kelp forest first hand at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, drove up to San Fransisco where I examined horn shark egg cases at the California Academy of Science and finally got really close to an adult swell shark at the Aquarium of the Bay. These were all exciting adventures! I came home to Boston and then sketched away! It took a couple months to do all of this.

What other books would you compare this story to within your own genre?

One of my most cherished childhood books, Are You My Mother?, comes to mind.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Our last question for Ann, but I can say my deep love of the ocean and all its inhabitants inspired my illustrations.

What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

Mother Ocean carries Shark Baby through various ocean habitats where he encounters a variety of sea creatures. Young children will connect with his feelings and emotions as he searches to find himself. I think the illustrations are just awesome and kids will simply love them! And as a bonus, they can travel underwater and not get wet. :-)

As a little tease for next year, I've already gone back to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to do research for Sea Slime: It's Eeuwy, Gooey, and Under the Sea, written by Ellen Prager, Sylvan Dell Publishing 2014.

Now it's time for me to tag two more people! Next week I'm tagging Ann Downer! Ann has two books releasing this year and she'll be telling us about her fall release, Wild Animal Neighbors: Sharing Our Urban World. I love the cover and I can't wait to learn more about the book.